learn to enjoy pushing paper through building departments

Explore other types of design! Graphic, industrial, furniture.... there's so much else out there, and there are so many people who are unhappy in architecture, that I can't help but think that some people might find a better fit in one of those.

Find a way to earn money that let's you free time to explore and work on other sutff for yourself, that don't necesarly generate money but let's you enjoy the good part of design.
I specialized in renderings, it pays well and if you're a freelancer, you can organize your time as you want. Whenever there's an opportunity to work on something interesting, even for free sometimes, you can manage to find the time to do it if you make enough money with your job.
Eventually, the two sides will join and you'll get the opportunity to work on architecture and make money with it.
my two euro cents.

Stay in school as long as you can.

If I just keep going to school...for ever and ever....a couple-five masters...the same number of PhD's....then I die...I'll never have to pay back my student loans (defer defer defer). The plan sounds perfect! See any holes?

with barracades and all!

but on a serious note... GET EXPERIENCE while you are in school... so you are not shocked when you graduate and start working for the man... Also BY working while in school you know what to expect when you get out into the work force... and never ever forget yourself in the process...

before you are far enough in school to work for an arch firm and get idp credit, the best thing you can do is go work a summer on a construction site. check your ego at the door and ask lots of questions, absorb everything you can about the construction process and job site, and be nice to the foreman. it's your best shot at not becomming the kind of professional that contractors bitch about. Plus you'll probably learn enough to draw some impressive details in your student work.

Vary your school interests.
Get to know others outside of the architecture program. They will be your future clients and contacts.
Get real work experience. Work part-time for a professor that also has a practice, find a summer job/intership with an office, work for a general contractor.
Spend less time on archinect.

here's some archinect advice. keep your thread creation/comment ratio to 1 percent or less.

I like that last one tc79

get really good at bullshitting advice to students. you never know when you will need it on architecture discussion boards.

Don't assume that you're the first junior employee to get stuck doing details, drafting and other ostensibly "grunt" work for a few years at the beginning of your career. Almost all of those mid-level and senior people you resent in your office did their share and then some.

There are a number of things that go hand-in-hand with architecture. Most (not all) architects I meet have a strong interest in:

Music
Fashion
Running
Bikes
Books
Computers
Porn
Alcohol
Sex
Etc.

So to better prepair myself for my future as an architect, I have started a high-fashion glam-rock band and we only use computer synthesizers to create music with lyrics taken from books and porno films and we play all of our shows drunk, and either run or bike to all of our gigs and have crazy sex with groupies.

advice: everyone in our office does "grunt" work ie does drawings, details, management, changes the plotter paper. registered or not. get over it.

can i be in your band chili? I like porn and the Human League, I think I would be a good fit

How's your liver?

enjoy school, experiment and don't freaking WORRY so much like i did.

oh, i'll join your band.

try to develop an understanding that creating buildings involves constraints and collaborations. buildings are immensely detailed and complex products - the design represents only about 25% of the design team's work effort - if you can't get comfortable with that, get out now.

Three rules to all school:

1. Pay attention.

2. Ask questions, especially of authority.

3. Know the difference between quitting and giving up. (i.e. Never give up, but know when to stop banging your head against a wall or overthinking something.)

To go with #3 above, It's ok to change your mind. And often.

Don't get stuck doing residential architecture 'only' or work too long for someone who does just that and doesn't need your design input.
Get your registration out of the way asap.
Listen well and don't dis the boring stuff so fast and don't take everything personally.
Try to save some money so you are not slave to wrong employer.
Be eager to take on responsibility and always show up on time.
There are more advise from where these came from, but chew on these for a while.

buy power tools

dont go to school get a job in as wide of fields as you can and 6 of them under a good architect

personally, i always tell students to be as open minded as possible...push your thought process as far as possible...experiment with your concepts/theories...but push...further than reality...

also, as stated above, get a job in a firm that will expose you to as much experience as possible...but i would do that after your sophmore year...(before that, it might be too discouraging)...when at work, watch the work process, and ask questions about the process...
working is a great learning experience, and it will help counter-balance my first advice!

experiment and test your ideas. Research like your life depends on it - because it does. Make interactions. Stretch yourseld. Read, read, read. Don't complain - there'll be enough time to do that when you graduate.

Advice to myself 10-15 years ago:

Do your homework and get good grades in high school. You know it's easy, and you're smart as hell; you just need to set aside some time to knock that shit out. Failure to heed this advice will fuck you up in a major way down the road.

Learn how to budget, and move in with some roommates. The studio apartment in the fashionable neighborhood can wait.

Now that you're a freshman in college, don't say "yes" to every credit card offer that comes in the mail. Again, failure to heed this advice will fuck you up in a big way down the road.

Lose the fucking ego, and toss your Ayn Rand books in the garbage. Your professors are your professors because they know more than you do. Shut up and listen to them.

Listen to your body. If you feel like something isn't right, get help for it. Now. Lose the fucking "I'll tough it out on my own" bullshit. The longer you wait, the more painful it will be when it finally comes home to roost.

become a developer, its the only way to really build all your ideas

learn as much about your clients as possible
understand how your work can contribute to their goals
research the program

I love the advise someone gave to "work for a general contractor". The best advise I've read so far.